Candidate Profile: Joe Stokes

BRADENTON – Joe Stokes, who was once the Director of Elementary Education for Manatee County Schools, takes on incumbent school board chair Scott Hopes in November's Manatee School Board District 4 race.

Stokes spent 17 years as a classroom teacher in Muncie, Indiana. In 2004, he was hired as principal of King Middle School in West Bradenton. Under former Superintendent Tim McGonegal, Stokes rose to Director of Elementary Education.

McGonegal resigned in 2012, amid a massive financial scandal in which millions of dollars in shortfalls were presented to the public and board as a surplus. His eventual replacement, outsider Rick Mills, passed on keeping Stokes in a top post and says he recommended he apply for an assistant principal post somewhere in the district. Stokes landed as an AP at Samoset Elementary and retired from the district in June of 2016.

On his reason for running, Stokes said, "It would be easier to stay on the sidelines and enjoy my grandchildren, my church, the beautiful beaches, and travel. However, I do have concerns about the Manatee County School District, the impact of the board, and its role in the process of educating our children."

Stokes added that "Fiscal issues and school management are very important, and we have a responsibility to manage the most recent tax levy as sold to the public. The continuing crisis, not a word I use flippantly, of having enough teachers, bus drivers, custodians, and every other position in our schools is not going away without solid leadership and sound decision making."

Stokes touts his long career in education and broad areas of experience, both in the classroom and administration as reasons he'd be a strong board member. Stokes says that his decade-plus of experience in the district also give him an edge.

In the August election, Stokes finished first with 36 percent of the vote, in the four-way, nonpartisan race. Hopes came in second with 28 percent of the vote, setting up the November runoff. School board races are non-partisan and though they represent a district, they are contested countywide, which means every Manatee voter will have the race on their ballot.